Meeting #2 - Extended Family and Your Kids

The second meeting of the group took place March 24, 2009 and our theme of the evening was Extended Family and Your Kids.  

Current adoptive parents shared their stories on the first meetings they arranged between their parents and kids.  This included some helpful tips on how to prepare both your parents and your children.  In particular, since most of our extended families tend not to live in Ottawa we also addressed how this works when your family comes and stays with you.

We also delved into how much of our kids' history we shared with our immediate family, and why, and what the outcome of that was.  Who should know about your child's history?  What is need to know and what is nice to know?  How much or how little do you tell?  What are the differences we should consider between younger and older children?

This then led to discussions on helping your parents and extended family prepare for the needs of children who have been adopted and what to expect.

We spent some of our time together talking about our adoption processes as there are a few prospective LGBTQ adoptive parents in our group.

Make sure to join us at our next meeting on April 21 where we'll delve into attachment and why it matters.